Readerly Top Picks In Paperback – July 2015

Many of wonderful titles we’ve loved and recommended are now out in paperback. Enjoy!

Cutting Teeth by Julia Fierro (St. Martin’s Press)  Parenthood doesn’t magically make men and women’s less stellar habits, fixations, or attitudes disappear. Nothing makes this clearer than four young families vacationing together. It is in this setting that Fierro captures the realities of parenting preschoolers and how those responsibilities impact adult relationships. Cutting Teeth portrays parenting and its many anxieties openly without the homilies and sugar coating.—Jennifer Conner

Those Who Wish Me Dead by Michael Kortya (Back Bay Books) The Blackwell Brothers want 13­ year ­old Jace Wilson dead before their trial. Secreting him away at Ethan Serbin’s remote survival camp buys him time, but it doesn’t guarantee anyone’s safety. The vivid details in Those Who Wish Me Dead drop the reader in the midst of a smoky fight for survival high in the mountains of Montana, making it the perfect choice for a fast­paced summer adventure.—Jennifer Conner

The Matchmaker by Elin Hilderbrand (Back Bay Books) Summer is not complete unless you have your toes in the sand and your nose in a book by Elin Hilderbrand. Dabney Kimball Beech has successfully matched over forty couples, but can her own marriage survive the return of her first true love? Readers will travel to charming Nantucket between the pages of The Matchmaker, a lovingly crafted novel of family, love, loss, and forgiveness.—Alison Skap

Some Luck by Jane Smiley (Anchor) In Some Luck, the first in a trilogy, Smiley solidifies her reputation for having an intimate understanding of the rural Midwest. Distinct, complex characters and a rich narrative voice distinguish this multigenerational saga, as the Langstons navigate three decades of uncertain economics, changing technology, and unpredictable Iowa weather, beating the odds to see their family farm survive into the postwar years.—Candace B. Levy

The Supernatural Enhancements by Edgar Cantero (Anchor) The Supernatural Enhancements is an immensely entertaining haunted house tale with a twist—the story is told entirely through journal entries, transcripts, letters, receipts, and more. The clever use of puzzles and cryptograms along with the quirky characters make this an engaging, fascinating, and delightful read.—Amy Riley

 by Thrity Umrigar (Harper Perennial)  The Story Hour tells the tale of two very different women—Maggie, a black psychologist, and Lakshmi, a young wife from India lost in the new world of the United States—and how they change one another. Umrigar writes an insightful, emotional story. Readers will absolutely be drawn into both these women’s lives, hoping that they find peace and happiness with each other’s help.—Swapna Krishna

Landline by Rainbow Rowell (St. Martin’s Griffin)  Georgie McCool has been paying more attention to her job than she does to her husband Neal and their children. When she realizes she needs to work over Christmas, it is the last straw for Neal, who takes the kids to his mother’s house in Iowa without Georgie. On the brink of a possible divorce, Georgie attempts to call Neal from the phone in her childhood room and inadvertently manages to communicate with Neal back in the week before Neal proposed to her on Christmas Day. Landline is a beautiful novel about how priorities get out of whack and someone receiving the grace to fix them.—Jen Karsbaek

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